--- title: "Get Ready to Soil Your Pantaloons! SpaceX About to Test the Mighty Starship" description: "According to an FAA notice, SpaceX could kick off the first orbital test launch of its gigantic Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy booster next week." date: "2023-04-05" modified: "2023-04-05" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-about-test-starship" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" tags: - "SpaceX" - "Starship" - "super heavy" - "the digest" --- # Get Ready to Soil Your Pantaloons! SpaceX About to Test the Mighty Starship ![According to an FAA notice, SpaceX could kick off the first orbital test launch of its gigantic Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy booster next week.]() *\Image: SpaceX\* ## Biggest Launch According to a notice posted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), SpaceX could finally kick off the first orbital test launch of its gigantic Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy booster as soon as April 10, [*Reuters* reports](). Fans and space enthusiasts alike have been waiting for this moment for years now, but before we get too excited about watching a Booster with 33 rocket engines blast a 164-foot spacecraft into orbit — potentially the [most powerful]() rocket ever launched — the company still has some hurdles to overcome. ## Jumping Through Hoops SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has been hinting at the company's inaugural orbital launch of its Starship launch system for quite some time. Original plans filed with the Federal Communications Commission placed the mission [back in mid 2021](). An environmental assessment of the Starship launch site in Boca Chica, Texas, delayed the launch considerably, [clearing the program]() only in June 2022, but requiring SpaceX to make [dozens of environmental adjustments](). Even now, SpaceX still has some hoops to jump through before it can test-launch its gigantic 394-foot rocket stack next week. For one, the company still needs a launch license. "The FAA has not made a license determination for the SpaceX Starship Super Heavy operation, and the FAA's Command Center planning notice should not be interpreted as an indicator that a determination to issue a license has been made or is forthcoming," the FAA's statement reads. ## Setting the Stage According to *Reuters*' sources, such a license could still be issued in time for a launch early next week, but an environmental compliance review could drag the process out even further. If everything goes according to plan, the company's Starship spacecraft will complete a full orbit of the Earth before splashing down off the coast of Hawaii. Its Super Heavy booster is designed to make a soft landing near its launch site. Meanwhile in Texas, SpaceX is [busy stacking]() its Starship prototype dubbed Ship 24 on top of its booster, setting the stage for one of the most exciting launches in recent memory. And we'll be glued to our screens as it happens. **More on Starship:** *[Space Startup to Send a Rover to the Moon on Board a SpaceX Starship]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()